Showing posts with label Gov O'Malley Admin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gov O'Malley Admin. Show all posts

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Eagle Archive: Budget and the economy were worries in 1837 ... and still are

Eagle Archive: Budget and the economy were worries in 1837 ... and still are

by Kevin Dayhoff


This is the time of the year when many citizens turn their attention to the budget processes of Carroll County government and its eight municipalities. No matter where you live in Carroll County, money matters.

Statewide, Gov. Martin O'Malley has announced that on Monday, May 14, the General Assembly will get together for a couple of days to raise taxes and enact more laws, rules and regulations. (For more on this read, "Delegation says county stands to lose $1 million in special session," on ExploreCarroll.com.)... http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/opinion-talk/ph-ce-eagle-archive-0513-20120509,0,1799107.story



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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Lutherville-Timonium Patch: VIDEO: O'Malley Addresses Proposed Gas Tax Increase - Lutherville-Timonium, MD Patch

VIDEO: O'Malley Addresses Proposed Gas Tax Increase - Lutherville-Timonium, MD Patch:

"VIDEO: O'Malley Addresses Proposed Gas Tax Increase

Lutherville-Timonium Patch readers have been vocal about the proposed tax hike. Where do you stand?

By Nick DiMarco Email the author December 30, 2011

Lutherville-Timonium Patch: VIDEO: O'Malley Addresses Proposed Gas Tax Increase - Lutherville-Timonium, MD Patch
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Kevin DayhoffI’m a newspaper reporter. I’m pushy, inconsiderate and I do not respect boundaries. Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for Patuxent Publishing Co., The Carroll Eagle: www.explorecarroll.com: http://www.explorecarroll.com/search/?s=Dayhoff&action=GO Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.orgTwitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoffKevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/ Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/Westminster Patch: http://westminster.patch.com/search?keywords=DayhoffE-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.comBEST VIEWED IN ChromeMy http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/+++++++++++++++

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Mark Newgent - Red Maryland: O'Malley Repeats Budget Cuts Fiction

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2011




O'Malley told the Annapolis press corps, "Ever since this recession hit we've been relying almost exclusively, with some exceptions, but almost exclusively on the cuts. That's why we've racked up $6.8 billion in cuts."

Except that under O'Malley the state budget has ballooned.

Here’s how much O’Malley spent in his five budgets since he took office in 2007... http://redmaryland.blogspot.com/2011/12/omalley-repeats-budget-cuts-fiction.html

Mark Newgent - Red Maryland: O'Malley Repeats Budget Cuts Fiction

http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2012/01/mark-newgent-red-maryland-omalley.html

Robert Lang WBAL: O'Malley Says Gas Tax, Other Increases Part Of Agenda In 2012

O'Malley Says Gas Tax, Other Increases Part Of Agenda In 2012


Thursday, December 29, 2011

Robert Lang in Annapolis and Associated Press

Governor Martin O'Malley says lawmakers in 2012 will have to have the "courage" to consider tax hikes as well as spending cuts, and that includes an increase in the state's gasoline tax.

At a briefing for reporters in Annapolis today, O'Malley said lawmakers have already cut $6.8-billion in spending over the last four years.

He says more money is needed for road and bridge projects.

[…]

He notes that the state's 23.5-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax was set in 1992 when gasoline was selling for more than $1.10 a gallon. Regular now sells for more than $3 a gallon. He notes that gas tax revenue has not kept up with rising costs of infrastructure projects.

[…]

Earlier this year, a commission recommended a 15-cent-a-gallon increase in the gas tax over three years.

The governor also says he may seek an increase in the so called "flush tax" on septic systems, and plans to pursue legislation to restrict new septic systems… http://www.wbal.com/article/84939/2/template-story/OMalley-Says-Gas-Tax-Other-Increases-Part-Of-Agenda-In-2012






[20111229 OMalley Gas Tax Other Increases 2012 Agenda]

Thursday, November 3, 2011

A Message from the Governor: Veterans Day, Energy Efficiency and State Regulatory Review



 A Message from the Governor

In all the many difficult decisions that we have to make as a people, job creation must be our number one priority, always.

To create jobs, a modern economy requires modern investments. That isn't a Democratic or Republican idea, it's an historic and economic truth.

But in our country today, we face a serious investment deficit. While our global competitors like China invest 9% of their Gross Domestic Product in infrastructure like roads, bridges, and tunnels – in the United States, we invest only 2%.

It's not what other countries are doing to us; it's what we're not doing for ourselves. President Obama has a plan to move us forward. The President's proposal would create hundreds of thousands of jobs rebuilding our roads, railways, and runways. How? With a $50 billion investment in surface transportation and the creation of a new, National Infrastructure Bank.

The President's plan will make a difference for those of us in Maryland – allowing us to create jobs and improve our quality of life, with investments in priorities like widening the I-70 bridge over Concocheague Creek in Washington County --and reconstructing the I-695 Baltimore Beltway bridge over Milford Mill Road,… a bridge that is 50 years old and structurally deficient.

Rebuilding America's infrastructure matters for job creation. It matters for our global competitiveness. And it matters for the type of country we leave to the next generation

- Governor O'Malley

What's Happening?

Reviewing State Regulations

Last month, Governor O'Malley signed an executive order to spark job creation in Maryland and we need your help! The executive order calls for a 60-day state review of current state regulations to identify and potentially eliminate regulations that are duplicative, outdated or present a barrier to job creation.

Our Cabinet Secretaries have begun their internal reviews and will submit recommendations in December. An essential piece of the report will consist of feedback and suggestions from you.

Please visit our website to submit your suggestion for a regulation that can be eliminated or reformed.

Maryland Students Excel, Again

For the past three years in a row, Maryland's public schools have ranked #1 in the country. Our high school students lead the nation with their Advanced Placement scores and together we've been able to cut the achievement gap between black and white students by nearly half. This week, we received more good news that over the past two years, Maryland's public school students made greater improvements on national standardized tests than most other States, according to the recently-released 2011 Nation's Report Card.

Congratulations to our students, educators and parents on this achievement.

Marylander on the Move: Erin Byers 

 Erin Byers is an Army veteran and multi-media artist who devotes her time to the Veteran Artist Program.

At age 26, she joined the Army and was deployed to Iraq where she served as a combat medic, leaving her passion for photography behind.

After returning home, she found art to be a healthy way to deal with the realities of war. She explains that "… there are things you see that other people don't want to hear you talk about and art is a way that veterans can 'talk' about their experiences."

She wants to help other veteran artists return to the passion that many of them had to give up.

Innovative Maryland 

Maryland is committed to creating green jobs and building for an energy-efficient infrastructure to make our State more sustainable. Since 2009, Marylanders have saved over 900,000 MWh of electricity and over $117 million through efficiency upgrades, reduced consumption and investments in renewable energy options.


Just last month, Maryland was ranked one of the top 10 states in the nation for energy efficiency, according to the 2011State Energy Efficiency Scorecard by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. This determination is based on a variety of metrics comparing states on their efforts to advance efficiency in their residential, commercial, industrial and transportation sectors.
Maryland also received high marks in the area of transit-oriented development thanks to our high standards for greenhouse gas tailpipe emissions as well as our integration between transportation and land use planning.
Maryland has set a goal for electricity suppliers to procure 20% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2022. You can learn more about energy conservation in your own home and business here.

Labels: Maryland Municipal League see MML, MML, MML Municipal League
http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/search/label/MML%20Municipal%20League:


For more information on the 2011 Fall Maryland Municipal
League’s Fall Legislative Conference at the Cambridge Maryland Hyatt Regency
Chesapeake Bay, including a “Complete 2011 Fall Conference Information (.pdf)”
packet, visit the MML website at www.mdmunicipal.org.


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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/


My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/


*****
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Commentary: Maryland's economic deterioration is 'progress'? By Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Commentary: Maryland's economic deterioration is 'progress'? By Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/06/AR2010080605931.html

Monday, August 9, 2010

By Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) often refers to his tenure in Annapolis as one of "progress," implicitly arguing that Maryland is better off today than when he took office.

Nowhere could this argument lack more credibility than on Maryland's economic climate, which is unquestionably less friendly to job creation than it was four years ago.

Consider the evidence: Unemployment in Maryland doubled from 2006 to 2010. Approximately 3,000 small businesses closed on the O'Malley administration's watch last year.

Neighboring Virginia easily outranks Maryland in eight out of 10 categories in CNBC's America's Top States for Business survey, including overall economy, quality of life, business friendliness, transportation and cost of living. Maryland has become a flyover state as businesses like Northrop Grumman move their corporate headquarters and jobs to the other side of the Potomac River. Since 2006, the Tax Foundation has dropped Maryland 26 spots in its ranking of the states' business tax climates.

The causes for Maryland's decline are clear. By passing the largest tax increase in Maryland history before a recession, Gov. O'Malley siphoned sorely needed dollars from job creators and families across the income scale. Second, regulatory agencies began treating small businesses as a source of new fines and tax revenue rather than a source of new jobs. Lastly, government spending in Maryland over the past four years increased by $22 billion compared with the preceding four years. Not surprisingly, a $1.8 billion deficit awaits the next governor and legislature.

As governor, I will redefine "progress" in Maryland by focusing on three priorities. ... [...] .... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/06/AR2010080605931.html

20100809 RLE WaPo Mds economic deterioration is progress
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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

Monday, February 1, 2010

O'Malley Blocks Conservative Media From State House

The Maryland Senate Republican Caucus has called to our attention that the O'Malley administration is thwarting access of the conservative media to the Maryland State House:

"Governor O'Malley took office three years ago pledging to the citizens ofMaryland that he would run the most transparent administration in Maryland'shistory.

"However, as O'Malley's poll numbers have dropped over the past year, theGovernor's press office has excluded media and citizens from pressconferences in the Governor's Reception Room. They have also established newbarriers for obtaining press credentials for the State House press corps.

"Reporter Hassan Giordano of the Baltimore Independent Examiner describes hisfrustration with the Governor's interference of an open and transparentgovernment in Maryland and, specifically, the lack of access to the Governorunless you are one of the few favored media representatives known to write or produce pro-Administration pieces:

"'While certain members of the Press, including myself, have been stalled andconsistently delayed our press credentials, due to some new process theO'Malley administration has put in place, many are questioning why now? As if not already known as the liberal oppressor of all things conservative,Governor O'Malley is now playing games with certain reporter's credentials,who are too closely tied to conservative publications.'"

"Yes, the administration has stooped to new lows in attempting to control themedia coverage of Governor O'Malley and restrict what citizens get to learnabout their state government.For links to the Baltimore Independent Examiner article, visit our websiteat
www.mdsenategop.com.

Cross-posted: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2010/02/omalley-blocks-conservative-media-from.html

For the full article click here. (Unfortunately, the article to which we are referred, http://www.examiner.com/x-1899-Baltimore-Independent-Examiner~y2010m2d1-Governor-OMalley-blocks-conservative-press-from-State-of-the-State has not yet propagated on to the http://www.examiner.com/x-1899-Baltimore-Independent-Examiner web site.

I have sent Mr. Giordano an e-mail asking for more information.

In case you are not already following the work of Hassan Giordano - - he's the real deal. I like to follow his stuff at the http://www.reportersroundtable.com/.

Reporters' Roundtable with Hassan Giordano
State of the MD GOP
Tue Jun 09 2009
State of the MD GOP and Youth and politics with Del. Christopher Shank and Del. Jeannie Haddaway. Related posts:Young Dems ... read more

Reporters' Roundtable with Hassan Giordano
Baltimore City Budget Process
Tue Jun 09 2009
Hassan speaks with Andrew Klein, Baltimore City Budget Director and Angela Fraser of the Office of Neighborhoods. Related ... read more

Reporters' Roundtable with Hassan Giordano
Adoption Process
Sun May 24 2009
Hassan speaks with Suzzanne Floegel and her attorney Chad Cos about struggles with the adoption process in Maryland. Related ... ... read more
~~~~~~
Hassan Giordano Baltimore Independent Examiner Bio: Hassan Giordano, political insider and campaign consultant, is the Host of the Reporters' Roundtable at http://www.reportersroundtable.com/.
Is the Race for Council President really about race Saturday, January 30th, 2010 · 1 commentAs most skeptics would caution a racial argument in almost anything of importance these days, alluding to the fact we have an African-American...Keep Reading »

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City Council Watch 2010: Councilman Young hi-Jacks the votes for the Presidency 1 comment As the Baltimore City Council returned to City Hall last night, for the first council meeting of the new year, spirits seemed joyous and the antics of...Keep Reading »
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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

Thursday, January 14, 2010

A Message from the Governor


A Message from the Governor

January 13, 2010

427th Legislative Session

Today, the 427th Maryland General Assembly convened for its 90-day legislative session.

Our task as public servants, as Marylanders, and as Americans is to continue making the choices and connections that will allow our families to get through these tough times even stronger. As I know you'll agree, there is no government program that is as important and empowering as a job that allows a family to raise their kids with dignity and respect and a roof over their heads. In these tough times, everything we accomplish this legislative session must be seen through the lens of whether or not it creates jobs, protects jobs, or improves the environment for creating and protecting jobs.

And it begins with maintaining the era of fiscal responsibility we returned to Annapolis. Rather than increasing spending, for the first time since the Great Depression, spending levels are less today than they were four years ago – and state spending has reduced $4.6 billion under our Administration. Maryland remains one of only seven states that continue to defend a Triple A Bond rating – a measure of fiscal responsibility certified by all three major agencies.

Every year for the past three years, we've submitted a budget that is not only balanced, but that comes in within the spending affordability guidelines. It is all with the goal and the motive and purpose of maintaining fiscal responsibility so we can make progress on schools, progress on public safety, progress that strengthens and grows our middle class and creates more opportunity for hardworking people in our State

Martin O'Malley
Governor


20100113 A Message from the Gov 427 MGA Gov O'Malley Admin, Md Gen Assembly 2010 427, MD Gen Assembly Opera, People O'Malley-Martin

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/01/message-from-governor.html

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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://www.westgov.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/
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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

Friday, September 25, 2009

Flight of MD Millionaires Haunts O'Malley Budget Policy

Flight of MD Millionaires Haunts O'Malley Budget Policy by: Mark

http://yrnetwork.com/blogs/2905/view.aspx?article=560

The #1 Republican Network of Young Professionals, Students, Entreprenuers, and Young Business Leaders: http://yrnetwork.com/
“Of course millionaires are leaving Maryland,” exclaimed Anirban Basu as he discussed the deteriorating economic conditions facing Maryland’s citizens and businesses.

Basu, an economist and CEO of Sage Policy Group, was the keynote speaker at the Maryland Association of Counties (MACO) summer conference last week. In analyzing the decline of revenues from personal income taxes paid to the state, Basu attributed part of the decline to Governor O’Malley’s initiative last year to raise the tax rate on earners of $1 million or more.

Under the O’Malley proposal enacted into law in the 2008 Session, the top marginal tax rate was increased from 5.5% to 6.25%. When coupled with the local income tax, some Maryland filers are now taxed at a combined 9.45% personal income tax rate – or they can move to a low tax state where there is no personal income tax.

Prior to the O’Malley tax increase, a miniscule 0.3% of Maryland taxpayers (taxpayers with $1 million or more income) contributed 15% of the total revenues for the state's personal income tax receipts.

We can expect the Comptroller’s office to provide final figures on the flight of millionaires from Maryland in October, but the initial analysis was not good. As reported in the Wall Street Journal (
click here) in May:

“One year later, nobody's grinning. One-third of the millionaires have disappeared from Maryland tax rolls. In 2008 roughly 3,000 million-dollar income tax returns were filed by the end of April. This year there were 2,000, which the state comptroller's office concedes is a ‘substantial decline.’ On those missing returns, the government collects 6.25% of nothing. Instead of the state coffers gaining the extra $106 million the politicians predicted, millionaires paid $100 million less in taxes than they did last year - even at higher rates.”

This ill-fated policy decision represents a $206 million shortfall of the current $800 million hole in the O’Malley deficit. It is likely that state employees will be forced to cough up at least $34 million (if the furlough is comparable to last year's furlough plan) although many analysts expect even deeper cuts into state employee salaries. O'Malley told local officials at the MACO conference that they should expect $250 million in cuts to local aid.

This is just one of a great number of bad policy decisions made by the O’Malley Administration. As state employees, local governments and others face the day of reckoning this week for the announcement of the next round of cuts, they will realize that it’s not just the “Great Recession” but also the misguided O'Malley budget policy that places on them the burden of cleaning up the state’s budget crisis.

- - Maryland Senate Republican Caucus

_______

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20090825 Flight of MD Millionaires Haunts OMalley Budget Policy
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My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Poll: O'Malley Leads Ehrlich In 'Rematch'

Poll: O'Malley Leads Ehrlich In 'Rematch'
Economy Said To Be State's Most Pressing Issue
http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/21057274/detail.html

September 22, 2009

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A new poll has Democrat Gov. Martin O'Malley leading in a rematch with Republican Robert Ehrlich 49 percent to 38 percent, with 13 percent undecided.

View The Entire Survey Click To Comment

[…]

Laslo Boyd, a partner of Gonzales Research and Marketing Strategies, talked with WBAL 1090 AM's Scott Wykoff about the poll. You can listen to his remarks here.

Read the entire WBAL article here: http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/21057274/detail.html

20090922 WBAL Poll OMalley Leads Ehrlich In Rematch
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My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Governor to be in Westminster for Capital For A Day Friday, April 24th

Governor to be in Westminster for Capital For A Day Friday, April 24th

... Friday, April 24th Governor O’Malley, Lt. Governor Brown, and the entire O’Malley Administration will be coming to Westminster for “Capital For A Day” (CFAD).

This will be our first CFAD of the 2009 schedule, and we have moved it up a little earlier than expected, but are really looking forward to spending the day in Carroll County.

The Governor was invited to join the new USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack at an event at a local farm, and so we have decided to make the entire day a CFAD event.

The Governor’s schedule will be as follows, and we would like you to join him at any events that you are interested in attending.

Friday, April 24th Capital For A Day in Westminster:

What: GOVERNOR TO PARTICIPATE IN CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM (CREP) AGREEMENT SIGNING AND TREE PLANTING PRESS EVENT WITH USDA SEC. TOM VILSACK

When: 11:00am to 12:00pm

Where: Farm of Richard Soper, Jr and family, 523 Warfieldsburg Road, Westminster 21157

What: GOVERNOR - MAIN STREET WALK AND LUNCH

When: 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Where: Main Street, downtown Westminster

What: GOVERNOR TO HOLD CABINET MEETING

When: 1:30pm to 3pm OPEN TO ELECTED OFFICIALS AND PUBLIC AT 2:15pm

Where: Location TBD- either McDaniel or Carroll Community College

The Cabinet meeting is closed for the first 30 minutes, while the Governor goes through a normal cabinet meeting agenda with the Secretaries.

Then around 2:15 pm, it is open to the public for the Mayor, Commission President Gouge, and Senator Haines to give brief comments and for a Q and A with elected officials and the Cabinet members. So the Cabinet meeting agenda would look like this:

CABINET MEETING:

1:30 to 2pm Closed Cabinet meeting with Governor

2:15 to 2:30pm Presentation of Local Issues to Governor and Cabinet- Mayor Ferguson, Commissioner Gouge, and Senator Haines (5 minutes each)

2:30pm to 3pm Questions and Answers with All Elected Officials and Proclamation of “Capital For A Day”

In addition to this meeting, the Cabinet members will also be spending the entire day with their local counterparts in city and county government in Carroll County.

They are encouraged to meet in the morning with your local staff, to have working lunches downtown that day, and to do any press events in town that you feel would be good ideas for them to see/tour/visit.

20090424 SDOSM Gov to be in Westminster for Capital For A Day

Kevin Dayhoff: www.westgov.net Westminster Maryland Online www.westminstermarylandonline.net http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 2, 2009

Message from Gov O’Malley on tomorrow’s death penalty vote

Message from Gov O’Malley on tomorrow’s death penalty vote

Related: 20070611 Studies Death Penalty Discourages Crime

Tomorrow the Maryland State Senate is expected to vote on the death penalty

From the Desk of Governor O'Malley

March 2, 2009

Dear Friend,

Every so often, we have the chance to take action on an issue which touches the very soul of who we are as a people. Tomorrow, the Maryland State Senate is expected to vote on one such issue: legislation that would repeal our State's death penalty and replace it with life without parole.

The vote tomorrow is expected to be very, very close, and results may very well hinge on last-minute decisions by just a handful of senators.

Our democracy is only as strong as the active participation of those who hold the most important office in our State government: “citizen.” I hope that you will consider taking some time to contact your state senator to register your opinion about this defining moral issue. Maryland Citizens Against State Executions has set up a website through which you can
email your state senator.

It is my firm belief that the death penalty is outdated, expensive, and utterly ineffective.

As the mayor of the City of Baltimore, I witnessed horrendous crimes that called out for justice. The death penalty was on the books -- and did absolutely nothing to prevent these awful crimes.

Last year, we came together as One Maryland to achieve the second largest reduction in homicides since 1985. The death penalty was on the books -- and did absolutely nothing to prevent these awful crimes or help us reduce violent crime by 40 percent.

And the death penalty has had nothing to do with our efforts to improve public safety in our communities. It's been done through innovative policing, expanded DNA fingerprinting, and local and state partnerships.

Recently the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment found that for every 8.7 Americans sent to death row, one innocent person is exonerated.

The Commission also found that the cost to taxpayers of pursuing a capital punishment conviction was three times as much as the cost of pursuing a non-death penalty homicide conviction. During these times of economic crisis, those are funds we could be investing in crime prevention or assisting victims' families.

Good people on both sides of the death penalty issue can disagree, but as we weigh the repeal in our hearts, for each and every one of us, the fundamental question is the same: what type of society do we want to be? A society guided by fear, retribution, and the false notion that two wrongs somehow make a right? Or a society guided by fundamental civil and human rights endowed by our Creator?

The death penalty is fundamentally and irreconcilably incompatible with the sort of Republic to which I believe all of us aspire.

It is my sincere hope that 2009 will be the year in which, finally, together as One Maryland we repeal capital punishment and replace it with life without parole.

Please
contact your state senator and urge them to support the repeal of the death penalty in Maryland.

Sincerely,
Martin O'Malley
Governor


20090302 Message from Gov OMalley on tomorrows death penalty vote
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/


Kevin Dayhoff: www.westgov.net Westminster Maryland Online www.westminstermarylandonline.net http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Marjorie Lohnes named to serve on the Governor’s Career and Technology Education Task Force

Marjorie Lohnes named to serve on the Governor’s Career and Technology Education Task Force

Carroll County Public Schools
125 North Court Street
Westminster, Maryland 21157

News Release - For Immediate Release

November 24, 2008

Charles I. Ecker, Superintendent

Lohnes to Serve on Governor’s Career and Technology Education Task Force

Marjorie Lohnes, Supervisor of Career and Technology Education for Carroll County Public Schools, has been appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley as a member of the Career and Technology Education Task Force.

The charge of the Task Force is to create an action plan designed to expand the career and technology education programs that prepare students for entry into post-secondary education, apprenticeships and a career where there is current and future employer demand. Priority will be given to expanding programs that support critical infrastructure needs such as construction, health and biosciences, manufacturing, information technology, and consumer services; particularly those vital to industries related to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Lohnes began her career in education in Carroll County as a teacher. She has served as Supervisor of Career and Technology Education since 1991.

# # #

Contact: Marjorie Lohnes, Supervisor of Career and Technology Education,
410-751-3104

CG/bb
11/24/08

Contact: W. Carey Gaddis, Coordinator of Community and Media Relations
(410) 751-3020 • TTY (410) 751-3034
E-mail - • Web Address -
www.carr.org/ccps

Webmaster disclosure: I serve on the Board of Junction with Ms. Lohnes.

20081124 Marjorie Lohnes named to serve on the Governor’s Career and Technology Education Task Force

Kevin Dayhoff Westgov.Net: Westminster Maryland Online

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Just Say “NO” to Slots


There are two constitutional questions on the ballot next Tuesday. I will be voting “NO” on both. Question 2 will amend the state constitution to allow slots. Question 1 would amend the Maryland Constitution to allow early voting in Maryland.

In an earlier column I explained why I feel strongly that early voting in Maryland is not such a hot idea.

Question 2 is not nearly so black and white. I have a good number of well-intentioned and thoughtful friends and colleagues who are voting for slots, and almost an equal number of people who are just as responsible and well informed and are voting against slots.

After a great deal of thought, study, and research, I will be voting “NO.”

[…]

Maryland state government already has a pathological spending addiction and the current slots referendum only fuels the problem.

And there’s the rub. I cannot say it better than The Cecil Whig: “The people (who) are now trying to sell you slots are the same people (who) passed the largest tax increase in Maryland's history and said that it would solve our fiscal problems. They are the same people who said that there wouldn't be a BG&E rate hike…

[…]
[…]

“If you believe the General Assembly will use the revenue generated from slots wisely, to lower taxes and control further spending, then we recommend you vote for it.

“But if you are concerned that legislators will waste the revenue from slots and citizens will not benefit with tax decreases and spending will again outpace tax revenues, then we recommend you vote against the referendum.”

[…]

Read the entire column here: Just Say “NO” to Slots

20081031 The Tentacle: Just Say NO to Slots

Friday, September 12, 2008

Statement from Governor Martin O'Malley on the Board of Revenue

Statement from Governor Martin O'Malley on the Board of Revenue Estimates

http://www.governor.maryland.gov/pressreleases/080909e.asp

BALTIMORE, MD (September 9, 2008) – Governor Martin O’Malley today issued the following statement following the Board of Revenue Estimates:

“Today, the Board of Revenue Estimates announced a budget shortfall for the current fiscal year and 2010. Given the national economic downturn, national foreclosure crisis, and the increased price of energy, gasoline and food, these revenue estimates are not unexpected; and we are preparing to bring hundreds of millions in cuts before the Board of Public Works in the coming weeks to address this challenge.”

“Given the national economy, other states are facing the same or significantly worse budget pictures. In fact, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that at least 29 states are facing a total budget shortfall of $48 billion in FY 2009.”

“In Maryland, because of the tough decisions we made to protect public education, public heath and public safety, and expand opportunity for our middle class families, we are ahead of the game. Working with the General Assembly, we have already reduced spending by $1.8 billion and taken actions to address the structural deficit that we inherited.”

“Without these actions and tough decisions, our State would be facing an estimated $2.5 billion shortfall in FY 2010. Instead, Maryland is a facing a shortfall that is significantly less that is the result of a downturn in the national economy, not structural in nature.”

“We have worked hard to restore fiscal responsibility and accountability in Maryland over these last two years.”

“In 2008 and 2009, our state budget grew by less than 4 percent annually – less than the Spending Affordability Guidelines set by the General Assembly – compared to 22 percent in the last two years of our Republican predecessors.”

“We have already cut $1.8 billion from state spending, eliminated over 700 state positions, and yes, we have asked the people of Maryland to play a role in this solution by increasing the sales tax by a penny and enacting a more progressive income tax structure. The people of Maryland will also have an opportunity to vote on a slots referendum in November that is expected to provide an additional $650 million for public education in our State.”

“As we have worked together to address the structural deficit that we inherited, we will come together in the weeks ahead to address this latest budget challenge presented to us by our national economy; and we will do so in a way that recognizes the burden and challenges faced by our middle-class families as the cost of everything continues to rise even as wages remain stagnant.”

“The investments we have fought so hard to preserve in public education, public safety, and public health are intended for one purpose only – to strengthen and grow our middle class over the long-term and create a more sustainable future for our children.”

“This has been our goal from the beginning, and it will continue to guide the actions of this Administration as we work to address this latest challenge.”

20080909 St from O’Malley on the Brd of Revenue Estimates

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Governor Martin O'Malley Delivers Address on Fiscal Responsibility

Governor Martin O'Malley Delivers Address on Fiscal Responsibility

[ View Video / Read Remarks ]

WASHINGTON, DC (July 31, 2008) – Governor Martin O’Malley delivered a major address before the Center for American Progress today, focusing on the restoration of fiscal responsibility in Maryland. As states work to balance their budgets in the midst of a rising federal deficit, a faltering national economy and mortgage crisis, Governor O’Malley addressed how to restore fiscal responsibility while making critical investments in our shared priorities, like public education, infrastructure, energy and affordable, quality health care.

“Many States have had to deal with budget shortfalls by carving into priorities like public safety, public education and healthcare,” said Governor O’Malley. “None of the options are popular, but while some of these choices pull us backwards, other choices can and will move us forward – even in the toughest of times.”

Governor O’Malley, facing an inherited $1.7 billion structural deficit upon taking office, worked with leaders in the General Assembly to virtually close the budget shortfall through a series of reforms, including nearly $1.8 billion in spending cuts and reductions, the elimination of over 700 State positions, and the implementation of a progressive tax structure that allows 95% of Marylanders to pay the same or less in income taxes as they did in the prior year.

“Nothing that we accomplished in the three week Special Session was easy. But, throughout the difficult consensus-forging work, we continued to proclaim the goals that unite us: to strengthen and grow our middle class, and family owned businesses and farms; to improve public safety and public education in every region of our State; and to expand opportunity – the opportunity to learn and earn, the opportunity to enjoy the health of the people we love and the environment we love to more people rather than fewer.”

The Governor continued. “We eliminated government positions and implemented performance based management practices that helped eliminate nearly $20 million in overtime costs, and saved our State more than $20 million in Medicaid fraud recoveries. We closed the arcane, violent House of Corrections, which not only turned out to be the right thing to do morally, it also saved taxpayers $10 million. We replaced well-intentioned funding indexes that had fueled unsustainable spending in the past and threatened to accelerate spending in the immediate future. And we passed a package of legislation that modernized our tax code while lowering the income tax rate for 90 percent of Marylanders, and increasing the State Earned Income Tax Credit for hard-working families and our aspiring middle class.”

“When faced with a crippling structural deficit, we asked our neighbors in Maryland to embrace, once again, the politics of posterity. The politics which embraces the duty we have, not only to our neighbors, but to the next generation,” Governor O’Malley said. “The politics that believes tomorrow can be better than today, and that each of us has a personal freedom and moral responsibility, by our own actions and by our own investments, to make it so. Just as our parents and grandparents built our roads, our schools, and our hospitals with their blood, their sweat, their tears, and yes, with their hard earned dollars, we asked our fellow Marylanders to join us in choosing a better future for our own posterity.”

Governor O’Malley discussed the circumstances surrounding the inherited $1.7 billion structural deficit as context for the reforms the O’Malley-Brown Administration implemented to correct it.

“While a slowing economy exacerbated our circumstances, the primary cause was of our own making. In a flash of bi-partisan irresponsibility we had locked in nearly two billion dollars in increased expenditures, primarily in public education, while at the same time cutting income taxes for millionaires and everyone else by a billion dollars. And despite the $3 billion in backhanded stealthy property tax increases, fee and toll increases, and 40 percent increases in college tuition of our predecessor, the chickens of our bad math were coming home to roost. In the words of the great Abraham Lincoln, we could no longer ‘escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.’”

Outlining the strong, sustainable fiscal environment in which these reforms now place the State of Maryland, Governor O’Malley recognized the challenge that all states face in difficult economic times and the opportunities for progress fiscal responsibility can present.

“By taking these actions we were able to address a huge structural deficit that was years in the making. Two weeks ago the rating agencies affirmed Maryland’s Triple A Bond Rating, meaning that we’re still one of only seven states to hold the highest rating of credit worthiness from all three major bond agencies. But the true value of restoring fiscal responsibility is found in the progress that we are now able to make for the common good and stronger future that all of us would prefer.”

Former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta founded the Center for American Progress, the think tank that hosted Governor O’Malley for his address today, in 2003. The Center’s experts cover a wide range of issue areas, and often work across disciplines to tackle complex, interrelated issues such as national security, energy, and climate change. The Center is designed to shape national debate through dialogue with leaders, thinkers, and citizens, affecting positive change and developing a position of long-term leadership for America.

[ Watch Video ]

Additional Press Releases

http://www.gov.state.md.us/pressreleases/080731.asp

20080731 Gov O’Malley Delivers Address on Fiscal Responsibility

July 31 Center for American Progress: Fiscal Responsibility July 21 Signing of Evergreen Marine Agreement Transcript July 25 Infants and Toddlers Program Announcement July 24 Testimony Before Senate Subcommittee on Government Efficiency July 17 Leonardtown Capital for a Day July 10 Announcement of Statewide Interoperability Strategy July 8 DNA and Bearcat Announcement